DS is 5 and started school this year. DD is 3 and in play-school 3 days a week. I'm pregnant with number 3 and due the end of July.

We are looking at holidays but DS and DD will both be in school until the very end of June and July will be too close to due date to go away.

Was thinking about going someplace for a week at the end of April but that would mean them missing the week from school. DH isn't too keen on taking them out and worried that the schools will not be happy about it. If I were not due in July we'd just wait until they were both off but it'll be too close to babys due date this year.

Thanks surfjunkie, we've plenty of holiday memories, just all in Ireland in July and August. Not too bad!

The thing is I've 2 in secondary now and it's hard enough to get them to study, I would imagine a parent who was dismissive or casual about school and attendance throughout primary (yearly holidays in term) would really struggle to get them to take exam study seriously later on? Kids are no idiots.

Oh screen land. That seems sad. In years to come you might look back and be sorry that you don't have holiday memories to look back on. I never discourage parents to take their children out of school for a weeks holiday. I wouldn't advise going in sept as it's an important settling in period and a lot of work is covered. And sometimes a June holiday might clash with the school tour which children usually hate to miss. But a holiday in between won't kill anybody. And if the teacher gets snooty it just because they are jealous that they can't avail of cheaper hols. (Well, me anyway) I don't provide work as a rule though. A holiday is a holiday and I've enough to be doing. I'd always say try an do an educational activity if you can, visit a museum it an historic site. Look at maps of your resort and plan walks and find things of interest. Build sandcastles and find shells and little crabs. Make memories. X

We've never taken holidays in term as our school sends home a lot of notes discouraging it and, as a result, we rarely get a summer holiday away, July and August become too expensive. I suppose I also think it's important to stress a good work ethic to my older children. Your children are very small but I think taking 10 and 12 years olds off to Lanzarate in the middle of term (for no other family reason) sets a bad example. Anyway, every year, despite the school's policy against it, so many parents take children out in May and June for sun holidays, my children seem to waste their time going to school. They seem to walk to the park a lot and watch movies. The books even come home finished early in June. It's frustrating! I always regret not just booking the holiday.

Have to agree with what previous teachers said. Go and enjoy your holiday, don't ask for extra work. It will add pressure for you to get it done, and a lot of wasted hours for the teacher sorting the work out. The idea of completing missed work when they finish in June is a great idea. Just keep an eye on the progress when they return in case they are slipping back and you may need to put some extra work in then to catch them back up.

I don't think the school will mind but don't ask the teacher to provide work for him. As a teacher I have been asked for this by parents and have spent a fair bit of time putting together work that could be done only for it to be returned not done or obviously rushed to be finished in one go. Now I refuse to provide anything but say to parents bring a few books ( I don't provide them) and maybe keep a diary of what they did. For a Junior Infant doing things like playing I spy will keep letter sounds going, colouring and drawing will keep prewriting skills, reading to him or sharing a book and talking about pictures keeps reading skills going. Realistically you are not going to get homework done on a holiday however much the child likes it.

The only time it would bother a school or teacher is where a child goes away in September, goes away for more than about fortnight and is a weaker child anyway, where the child already has poor attendance or where the parents don't bother to let the school know in advance ( but all the child's friends know).

They won't miss TOO much. Could you go a month/3 weeks earlier and go during Easter holidays? Or May bank hol as schools will be closed at least the Monday for bank hol? Then they only miss 4 days. Get them reading a bit while they're away! I know schools advise against it, but it's not really the end of the world if it happens.